Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant smiles during the fourth quarter of a game against the New Orleans Hornets at the New Orleans Arena. / Derick E. Hingle, USA TODAY Sports

by Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY Sports

by Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY Sports

Kobe Bryant's entry into the 30,000-point club on Wednesday served as another reminder of just how much the 34-year-old has poured into his basketball career.

If you want to feel old, take a look at Kobe's first career NBA points from 16 years ago. Then think about all of the baskets, headlines and championships he has generated since then.

It's difficult to envision just what Bryant's life will look like after his playing career is over, but it's hard to imagine him fading from the basketball world entirely. Might Bryant follow Michael Jordan's lead by calling shots as the owner of a team?

"I don't know if ownership is really the right thing for me," Bryant said in a video interview with Bloomberg News. "I'd go crazy. If a player misses a game because he has a broken fingernail, I'd lose my mind. I wouldn't be able to take it."

Well ... yeah. We weren't really prepared for this level of self-awareness, but he's right. If Bryant saw himself fit to micromanage the Lakers as a player, just imagine what he'd be like if he had absolute power of an NBA franchise.

And it appears Bryant wants to make sure the Lakers are in good hands when he leaves.

"Especially now at this stage of my career, you see the light at the end of the tunnel, you feel a sense of pride," he said. "I've played for this organization but I want to see this organization be successful when I'm gone. It's about helping them and doing whatever I can to help them set themselves up for the next generation."

Maybe "honorary general manager for life" will be a real title by the time Kobe calls it quits.